European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 2, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Its no Accident by Susan Campbell the Hartford courant the weather is warming up and people Are outside More breathing in charcoal fumes from the Grill braving the mosquitoes. It is also Accident season when More people a Active after four months or so of life in front of the television a stumble into rakes fail into pools and generally run Over their own feet. Accidents Are even More Likely to happen when your mind is elsewhere a like say at the Beach while you Are digging up old vines behind the garage. Quot the word a accidents originally meant a falling out of. Favor a a a said Diana Meyer american red Cross assistant director for health and safety in the Farmington conn., office. Quot the term implies it was a preventable. But Many Many injuries Are but by far most accidents occur at Home and most Are preventable. For children falling is the most frequent cause of hospitalization from accidents. A Marian Storch is the health program associate for the Center for chronic disease a state Agency based in Hartford Conn that complies statistics. Storch said Quot what we find happens is that there a a lot of relationship Between the developmental stage the kid is at and the kind of Accident the child May suffer. From birth to age 14, the leading cause of hospitalization among children is Falls a Down stairs on sports Fields. Older teens crises involve motor vehicle crashes and suicide attempts Storch to the National safety Council heart disease is the leading cause of death followed by cancer stroke and accidents. Motor vehicles by far Lead the accidental death column followed by Falls and drownings. A with that in mind from better Homes and gardens and the american red Cross a list of does and done to beginning with the most dangerous room in the House. In the Kitchen e done to touch any appliance socket or switch with wet hands. A done to leave hot fat unattended on the stove a even for a minute. It can catch fire easily. E unplug appliances when they Aren t in use. This prevents Small children from accidentally turning anything on. A Don t use tablecloths that can be tugged by a toddler especially if you have heavy objects on the table. A install smoke detectors. In the bathroom buy chemicals or Medicine with child proof Caps. A Don t leave aerosol cans where a child can reach them. A never leave a child younger than 4 in the Bath alone even for a Tew action Lin Home layaway for furniture Purchase i would like to know Why the military must be. Subjected to the Home layaway program for furniture. My husband and i tried to buy a living room suite irom Mainz Kastein Germany. We were told my limit As an e-4, delivery charge and percentage tee for the suite priced at $2,000. We had $1,000 Cash Lor a More than sizeable Lay away but we were told we had to use Home layaway nothing else. We could have used a credit card but Why have an interest charge and finance charge Why create another credit Bill i am sure there Are Many couples who Benefit irom a always keep the toilet lid closed. _ a avoid using electric space Heaters hair dryers or radios near water. A use non skid Mats in the Bath and Shower. In the bedrooms a keep the Walkway from the bedroom to the door Clear. A if you use an electric Blanket Lay it Flat on the bed. Do not tuck it under the mattress. A put latches on upstairs windows. A choose solid furniture with rounded edges that a child can to pull Over. In general a Check All electrical cords. Frayed or cracked ones should be replaced. A replace cracked Vinyl or linoleum floors or tiling. A never keep a loaded gun in the House. A avoid furniture made of polyurethane foam because the foam gives off lethal fumes if it catches fire. A cover empty outlets. A develop a family escape plan should disaster strike. A make sure All paint is Lead free. A install safety Gates across the top and Bottom of stairs if you have Small children. A use non slip polish on waxed floors. Outside or in the garage a leave chemicals in their original bottles a if you have a Home Pool Fence it. The Fence should enclose the Pool on All four sides and be at least 4 feet tall. The american red Cross says adequate Pool fencing could decrease toddler drowning deaths by 50 percent. A inflatable toys Are not life preservers. Only coast guard approved personal flotation devices should be used. A throw away paint or Oil stained rags or store them in Metal containers. A Check that fuses Are the proper size Home layaway but there Are others who enjoy a Normal Lay away and who have Cash ready but must resort to Home layaway. Is there any Way to introduce a Normal furniture layaway program for people who do not want to use Home layaway conelious and Beverly Roby Rhein main a Germany be master sgt. Dayton p. Strickland customer relations he cafes Europe replies i agree it would be Nice to be Able to put furniture on layaway but the Bottom line is there a not enough storage space. Most stores have great difficulty allocating sufficient space for regularly stocked items and layaway merchandise. There just in t enough room left Over for bulk layaway like furniture. Tips on fireworks safety fireworks injure nearly 10,000 people every year a physician at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston said statistics show that Man Jaf these injuries Are preventable. Quot most injuries from fireworks occur in teen age and preteen boys Quot said or. A Bowes Hamill assistant professor of ophthalmology at Baylor the injuries we most often see to the hands and eyes can be prevented by proper adult a children frequently throw firecrackers at each other causing injury As severe As blindness or deafness when they explode in midair near the head. Injuries to the hands and face often occur when fireworks with Short. Fuses go off while they Are still being held. Quot i recommend that parents take their children to organized fireworks shows but if they do Purchase fireworks it is important to know How to use them safely and properly Quot har Fiill said. 4 a never allow fireworks to be used without adult supervision. A never use fireworks in prohibited areas. A always place firecrackers on the ground before lighting them. A never throw firecrackers. A a a rocket like fireworks should be launched from the ground not the hand and pointed away from people. A select an open Field away from buildings to launch fireworks. A carefully read the instructions and warnings on fireworks. Hamill says anyone planning to use fireworks should know first Aid measures should injuries occur. Minor Burns the most common injury should be treated by running cold water Over the injury immediately. Apply a cold water compress until the pain subsides and cover with Gauze or similar material. S if the Eye is injured inspect the area for any foreign a object on the eyeball or eyelids. If an object is embedded in the Eye if there is bleeding if sight is diminished or the. Pupil is not round attempt no treatment and take the patient to an emergency room immediately. Otherwise gently rinse the area with clean water until the object is removed. In the Case of an explosion near the ear perforation of the eardrum is possible. Cover the ear with a clean dry pad to prevent infection and have a physician examine the area. A first Aid kit is recommended for any Outing involving fourth of july fireworks. A Baylor College of Medicine the Home layaway program was begun to give customers an alternative to paying full Price at the time of Purchase and to be Able to enjoy their merchandise write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer wite to readers action line co the stars and stripes Apo 09211 -4211. All letters must be signed and preference Wilt be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers Page 16 a the stars and stripes tuesday july 2, 1991
